The Best Memories
by Percy-Jackson-is-the-best-ever
Summary: Set during HoH. Camp half-Blood is feeling grim, until a book with the best (and the worst, and most epic) memories of Percy, Annabeth, and others shows up. Then surprising guests appear. Follow Camp Half-Blood as this story takes a new turn!
1. Chapter 1

**Set during Hoh.**

**Please beware of the fact that I'm only about a hundred pages into HoH, so... yeah. The first part is made-up.**

* * *

"Run! Hurry up, come on!"

"I'm coming Percy!"

Together the two, Annabeth and Percy, made their way as fast as they could, which wasn't fast with Annabeth's newly sprained ankle, the fact that they were covered in scratches and bruises, and they were starving. All because they had managed to land themselves in Tartarus.

* * *

"I'm worried for them! So all of you shut up! There's a war coming, my closest friends are in danger, and you're all arguing about some stupid thing!"

That little outburst from Thalia shut up the heads of the cabins. At least they had the decency to look guilty.

"Back to the topic at hand. So-"

A flash of bright light filled the room, and out dropped a book. Everyone had their swords out.

"What the-?"

Thalia walked swiftly over to it, read the inside note, and sighed.

She read it aloud.

_"Thought you could use some cheering up! We, the gods, are torn between our Greek and roman selves, so we are sorry, but we took the time to compose this for you! Percy best, worst, cutest, saddest, most Percabeth, and current moments! Oh, and some Annabeth too, because we adore her too! Oh, and maybe some others... oh well. Be in the dining pavilion in five for another surprise! Bye!_

_-the Gods_

_P.S. time is frozen around you, and these are in random order!_

"Sounds like it was written by Aphrodite."

"Probably was."

Everyone gasped, and they all rushed off to get the rest of their cabins.

* * *

Hazel was worried. Sure, she'd rescued Nico, but Percy and Annabeth were trapped in Tartarus. She felt so guilty.

This should have been the least of her worries, considering she was on her way to close the doors of death, and she had to face something horrible. But she couldn't help but worry for her friends.

Sigh. Everyone was missing them dearly, at the same time, it only motivated them to hurry up.

Hurry. Hurry. Hurry.

* * *

Miraculously, everyone was assembled five minutes later. A shimmering image, like an iris-message appeared with the face of Hermes on it. His sons and daughters cheered.

"Quiet, please. I can't hear you, this is a one-way message."

For a god of jokes, he looked unusually grim.

"I have a good news and bad news to tell you. Your friends are safe-"

To which everyone cheered.

"-for now."

And it was back to downcast.

"Some of them-Nico, Piper, Leo, Hazel, Frank, and Jason are not as bad, but still bad. Nico is leading them to close the doors of death, where they will fight for their lives."

People had cheered to know they were okay, but they were now grim.

"Here is an image of them."

The image of Hermes shimmered to reveal a crew of members talking frantically around a table.

**"We have to hurry!" yelled a girl. "They have it hard enough as it is!"**

**"_Hazel_," Nico said. "Calm down. We're doing our best."**

**A boy stood. "The best isn't good enough! Percy and Annabeth have done so much for us! Now they're in Tartarus, fighting for their lives!"**

Every one gasped, and some started to cry. Everyone looked grim.

**"Franks, Hazel," said Piper. "Calm down," she said, putting charm-speak in her words. "We're all doing our best. We're really searching. Don't forget, we have to get through first, close the doors of death, and make it back with the Athena statue. We're all stressed."**

**Jason stood. "She's right. We are working hard, just expressing it in different ways."**

The image faded to show Hermes once again. "That's what's happening right now."

The Athena kids gasped. _Annabeth had taken the P__arthenos_? With Arachne protecting it?

"Now, as I'm sure you heard, Percy and Annabeth have fallen into Tartarus. They are making their way to close the doors of death as we speak."

He seemed to grow more grim at these words. He continued. "And, as it pains me to do this, here they are."

**Everyone gasped as the image shimmered to show Percy and Annabeth, the heroes, the legends, their camp leaders, stumbling through in darkness, running from some dark shape, cover in cuts and bruises. Annabeth seemed to be limping, and she had no weapon in hand.**

**"Hurry, Annabeth! It's gaining on us! Oh, that's it!" he promptly picked her up and started to run.**

**"Percy! Let me down!"**

**"You have nothing to defend yourself with, and your ankle is funky!"**

**After what seemed like forever for the camp, though in reality it was only a few minutes, he stopped, put her down, and was heavily panting.**

**"Percy! Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?"**

**"I-I'm fine. Just- out- of- breath," he said between breaths.**

**Suddenly, Annabeth started to cry. The camp was shocked. She never cried!**

**"It-it's n-n-not fair! I had g-gotten the Parthenos! I won against Arachne! Now I've dragged you into Hell with me! I-I-I'm so sorry!"**

Gasp!

**"It's okay, Wise Girl. We're going to close the doors of death. We'll get to see everyone again, Jason, Leo, Piper, Hazel, Frank..." he trailed off, looking uncertain.**

**"It's all my fault! If I hadn't- and now-"**

**"It's not your fault! I chose to come with you!"**

**"We'll never make it out alive! Nico was the son of Hades, and he's still scarred, and barely made it out! We'll die here!"**

**"We won't! _Annabeth,_" he said, turning her head towards him, "we'll make it out. Together."**

**"Together," she agreed firmly, taking his hand.**

The image cut back to Hermes looking grave.

"Yes, truly sad indeed. But the book you have should cheer you up. Ah, now for the surprise. Do remember to mention it to the new people that time is frozen outside of camp. And if you treat their injuries, they will go back to the way they were at the end of this. Oh, and no maiming or killing. Good bye."

The image shimmered once again and disappeared. Everyone looked confused.

Until some people dropped in.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hiya! I'm back from the grave (otherwise known as school) and here to write. As for my other stories, some of you are anxious. I hereby swear on the river styx I will not give up on them, I'm just so busy, you know? So sorry, hoping to write some more soon. See ya later! Peace out!**

* * *

_...Until some visitors dropped in._

The dropped right next to the Hermes table, who promptly yelled, "Gah!"

"Hold your ground," said a boy.

"J-Jason?" someone asked.

"It could be one of Gaea's traps," he said.

"Well, I'm about ready to be in this trap and like it, I need a break," said Nico darkly.

Hazel shot him a look. "We all do, but Percy and Annabeth!"

"Guys," said Leo. "Look."

The rest of the camp had various weapons pointed at them. "Gaea?"

"Probably."

"SERIOUSLY!" yelled Leo. "We have it hard enough, now this? Gosh, a break would be nice!"

"Leo!" yelled Piper, throwing her hands up exasperatedly, as if she'd been through this a hundred times. "We'd all like a break, but Percy and Annabeth-" she chocked on her words.

"Piper? What's wrong?!"

"Look," she pointed weakly to a shimmering message. On it was Percy and Annabeth, looking exhausted and beat-up.

"That," she said, looking pointedly at Leo and Nico, "is why we can't stop. So come on, let's go."

"One question: how do we get back?"

"Oh no," groaned Hazel.

"What is it?" asked Nico worriedly.

"Well, when Frank, _Percy_," she chocked, "and I were-were on or quest to free Thanatos, we came across this, this type of bog? But anyway, I was stupid and walked right into it-"

"That's right!" said Frank. "Percy went in to get you. You were in for a long time!"

"Yeah, well Gaea, she-she showed me what my life would be like if-if, well basically, she said I could live a whole life before dying. The life I had dreamed of."

"But if this is a dream, why is everyone staring, and why are swords pointed at us?"

"Good question," muttered Jason.

"The gods sent you," said Chiron, finally speaking up.

"How do we know you're speaking the truth?"

"You don't."

Jason studied him. "He's not lying."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

So they sat down at the head table, everyone staring incredulously at them.

There were cries of "How did you trust him so fast?" and "He's a roman!"

"We've been through a lot together, and-and-and-" Hazel stuttered.

"Percy and Annabeth are gone, to a terrible place," finished Nico darkly.

"How would you know?" someone asked.

"I've been there too," he said, glaring.

Then, a book fell.

"Oh, time is frozen around us," said Chiron.

"O-o-o-kay," said Leo.

"The note says," began Jason.

_Here it is! The best, worst, funniest, etc, moments ever in random order! Boo-yah!_

_-Hermes, Apollo, and the gods_

"Really? Coooooool!" said Leo. "What are we waiting for? Let's start!" He was so excited, the ends of his fingers burst into flames. The campers, but not the one's from the _Argo II, _backed up slowly. "Ooops," he grinned.

"Leo," Piper sighed, "your scaring them."

"Sorry."

"So, the first memory is from Aphrodite. It says,

_Ooooooh! They're first kiss! _

"Cool! Let's read!" yelled Piper.

"Pipes, your mom is showing through," said Leo.

"Shut up."

"Anyway... here we go."

_P.S. They're in Mt. St. Helens, and hiding from Sea Demons. Oh, and Percy blew up Mt. St. Helens._

"_He blew up Mt. St. Helens_?" asked a daughter of Athena incredulously.

"Yes, but it doesn't show that. Just the kiss. Okay, let's go."

**"Annabeth!" I yelled.**

** "Shhh!" an invisible hand clamped over my mouth and wrestled me down behind a big bronze cauldron. "You want to get us killed?"**

"Sounds like him," said Thalia.

**I found her head and took off her Yankees cap. She shimmered into existence in front of me, scowling, her face streaked with ash and grime. "Percy, what is your problem?"**

"Everything!" yelled Thalia and Nico at the same time.

** "We're going to have company!" I explained quickly about the monster orientation class. Her eyes widened.**

** "So that's what they are," she said. "Telekhines. I should've known. And they're making...Well, look."**

** We peeked over the cauldron. In the center of the platform stood four sea demons, but these were fully grown, at least eight feet tall. Their black skin glistened in the firelight as they worked, sparks flying as they took turns hammering on a long piece of glowing hot metal.**

"That's not good," said Leo.

"Percy has the worst luck," said Thalia.

"Completely," Nico agreed.

**"The blade is almost complete," one said. "It needs another cooling in blood to fuse the metals."**

** "Aye," a second said. "It shall be even sharper than before."**

"Ouch," said Hazel.

**"What is that?" I whispered.**

** Annabeth shook her head. "They keep talking about fusing metals. I wonder - "**

** "They were talking about the greatest Titan weapon," I said. "And they...they said they made my father's trident."**

"Why...?"

** "The telekhines betrayed the gods," Annabeth said. "They were practicing dark magic. I don't know what, exactly, but Zeus banished them to Tartarus."**

** "With Kronos."**

** She nodded. "We have to get out - "**

**No sooner had she said that than the door to the classroom exploded and young telekhines came pouring out. They stumbled over each other, trying to figure out which way to charge.**

** "Put your cap back on," I said. "Get out!"**

"Ah, his fatal flaw," sighed Thalia.

"What?" asked Jason.

"Loyalty," said Nico.

** "What?" Annabeth shrieked. "No! I'm not leaving you."**

** "I've got a plan. I'll distract them. You can use the metal spider - maybe it'll lead you back to Hephaestus. You have to tell him what's going on."**

"So-so, loyal."

** "But you'll be killed!"**

** "I'll be fine. Besides, we've got no choice."**

** Annabeth glared at me like she was going to punch me. **

"Sound like her," joked Frank.

**And then she did something that surprised me even more. She kissed me.**

"Aww!" cooed the Aphrodite girls.

"Their first kiss!"

The camp was in an uproar.

"Quiet," said Piper, using her charmspeak. It worked.

** "Be careful, Seaweed Brain." She put on her hat and vanished.**

** I probably would've sat there for the rest of the day, staring at the lava and trying to remember what my name was, but the sea demons jarred me back to reality.**

"That's the end," said Jason.

"They're so cute together."

"Oh, it also says,

_Then Percy blows up Mt. St. Helens. He almost dies from using up too much of his water powers._

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"So-"

"Arachne! Wait, where'd she go?"

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?"


	3. Chapter 3

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?"

He looked around and jumped.

"Get behind me!" he yelled.

"Don't start this again," Annabeth groaned.

"Uhh... Oh, look! Spider in front of me!"

"Ahh! Wait, hey, Percy, not cool."

"There's no time for that! This is obviously on of _her _games, and in Tartarus, you were about to die!"

"Gee, thanks. Just what everyone wants to hear."

"Listen, wise girl, you lost your dagger. Please- not now, okay?"

"Fine," she mumbled.

"Alright," said Percy, "who are you and what do you want? Listen falling into Tartarus was bad enough-"

"We're-"

"I know what you look like, but-"

Annabeth cut him off. "Percy! There are easier ways of finding out these things!"

They shared a silent look, which nobody missed. They seemed to move as one, communicate as one.

"Okay," said Percy.

"Thalia? Can you name all of the safe houses that we set up, and the supplies we put in them?"

"And the dam joke?" added Percy.

"Oh, and how I met you," he added, looking at Rachel.

"Well, you were running for your life, then I shoved you into the girls' bathroom, then I asked what happened, you tried to snap your fingers but it wouldn't work, so you said thanks and bye and ran off. Then I met you again and again in New York."

"Yep, that's Rachel," sighed Percy while the rest off the camp was snickering.

Then Thalia launched into an in-depth explanation of their safe tents, which Percy tuned out, but Annabeth was listening intently.

"Okay," she said finally.

"And now-"

"The dam joke, yes, got it. Well-" So she began to explain that, and this time Percy was listening.

"So that's what you mean!" exclaimed Annabeth. "Oh, and..."

She shared another look with Percy.

"Okay," they said simultaneously, and they sat down together with the rest of the seven and Nico.

There were cries of "That's it?" and "How did you-?"

"Quiet!" yelled Annabeth. The talking ceased immediately.

"Now, what is this?" she asked, eyeing everyone cautiously.

"We're reading a book about the best, worst, most heroic, blah blah, moments in Percy and other people's lives. Also, time's frozen around us," explained Jason.

"Okay, go ahead. Wait, what did you read already?"

"Your first kiss," said Thalia, smirking.

"Seriously?" groaned Percy.

"Yep!" exclaimed Piper. "Go Annabeth, taking charge!"

"Yeah, then Percy was all dazed, ya know? Then he blew up a volcano!" exclaimed Leo.

The two mentioned faces got hot.

"I'll read next!" volunteered Piper.

"Okay, the note says,

_When he took the curse of Achilles, what was his mortal point? We blotched out his Achilles' Heel, though. _

_-Apollo_

"Aww man, really? Do we have to read this?"

"Yes!"

"Whatever," grumbled Percy.

**I pictured a string, a bungee cord connecting me to the world from the **********. And I stepped into the river.**

"His Achilles Heel," breathed Frank.

**Imagine jumping into a pit of boiling acid. Now multiply that pain times fifty. You still won't be close to understanding what it felt like to swim in the Styx.**

"Ouch," said Leo.

"Yeah, you have no idea," said Percy.

Annabeth looked at him in concern. The rest of the camp looked shocked.

"Read on," said Percy.

**I planned to walk in slow and courageous like a real hero. As soon as the water touched my legs, my muscles turned to jelly and I fell face-first into the current.**

Annabeth clutched his arm.

"It's okay," he whispered.

**I submerged completely. For the first time in my life, I couldn't breathe underwater. I finally understood the panic of drowning. Every nerve in my body burned. I was dissolving in the water. I saw faces—Rachel, Grover, Tyson, my mother—but they faded as soon as they appeared.**

"What about me?" asked Annabeth.

"I-uh-"

"I'm just kidding! You're such a seaweed brain."

**"Percy," my mom said. "I give you my blessing."**

**"Be safe, brother!" Tyson pleaded.**

**"Enchiladas!" Grover said. I wasn't sure where that came from, but it didn't seem to help much.**

No one could help it-they burst out laughing. Except for Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Nico, and Thalia. They understood the seriousness.

**I was losing the fight. The pain was too much. My hands and feet were melting into the water, my soul was being ripped from my body. I couldn't remember who I was. The pain of Kronos's scythe had been nothing compared to this.**

"Percy!" cried Annabeth. Everyone looked worried.

"I'm right here," he comforted her.

**The cord, a familiar voice said. _Remember your lifeline, dummy!_**

"Your mortal point," whispered Thalia.

**Suddenly there was a tug in my lower back. The current pulled at me, but it wasn't carrying me away anymore. I imagined the string in my ******* keeping me tied to the shore.**

"Yay!" cheered the camp.

"Oh no," said Percy.

**"Hold on, Seaweed Brain." It was Annabeth's voice, much clearer now. "You're not getting away from me that easily."**

"Oh my gods! Annabeth was your-" asked Hazel.

"Yeah," said Percy, blushing.

Annabeth was also blushing.

**The cord strengthened.**

**I could see Annabeth now—standing barefoot above me on the canoe lake pier. I'd fallen out of my canoe. That was it. She was reaching out her hand to haul me up, and she was trying not to laugh. She wore her orange camp T-shirt and jeans. Her hair was tucked up in her Yankees cap, which was strange because that should have made her invisible.**

**"You are such an idiot sometimes." She smiled. "Come on. Take my hand."**

"Aww!"

"Amazing," breathed Jason.

**Memories came flooding back to me—sharper and more colorful. I stopped dissolving. My name was Percy Jackson. I reached up and took Annabeth's hand.**

**Suddenly I burst out of the river. I collapsed on the sand, and Nico scrambled back in surprise.**

Everyone cheered.

**"Are you okay?" he stammered. "Your skin. Oh, gods. You're hurt!"**

"Aww, does little Nico care about his older cousin Percy?" teased Conner Stoll.

"Stop it," said Jason in a harsh voice. Conner looked startled. Nico looked slightly grateful.

The camp was confused.

**My arms were bright red. I felt like every inch of my body had been broiled over a slow flame.**

"Oh Percy!" cried Annabeth.

"I'm okay now."

**I looked around for Annabeth, though I knew she wasn't here. It had seemed so real.**

"Aww! You miss Annie!" teased Thalia.

"Shut up, Pinecone Face."

"Kelp Head."

"T-"

"Stop," said Annabeth.

**"I'm fine . . . I think." The color of my skin turned back to normal. The pain subsided. Mrs. O'Leary ****came up and sniffed me with concern. Apparently I smelled really interesting.**

"That's it!" said Piper.

"What's next?"

"I'll read," volunteered Jason.

Piper passed the book to him.

* * *

**Ooooooooo, cliffy! Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

Writing appeared in bold.

**Hm... What to read next? So many good moments... and sad... and embarrassing... and- well, you get the point.**

"Yeah, but the last one does not make me feel better," said Percy.

"Yeah, I bet you have a lot of those," commented Nico.

"Hey!"

**We could do... hm... How about you guys can pick?**

There were choruses of "Yes!" and "Sweet!" and "Sounds good." from the campers.

**Okay, so... CC's island?**

"NO!" exclaimed Percy, jumping up from his seat.

"Oh, that was such a seaweed brain moment," commented Annabeth, laughing hard.

"Um, uh, yeah, but... What's the next option?" asked Percy, leaving everyone else curious.

**Um, how about when Thalia and Luke meet little Annabeth? **(1)

"That'd be cool!" said Thalia. "You know," she said, turning to Annabeth, "you were so cute with that hammer, swinging it around and throwing it at us. It was adorable."

Annabeth blushed. "Next option?" leaving everyone once again curious.

**The story of Fleecy?**

While everyone else looked puzzled, Percy, Hazel, and Frank began to laugh.

"Oh Fleecy, do me a solid," said Percy in-between laughs.

"Oh yeah, she was great. 'I'm Iris' assistant, and this is my personal line!'"

"Wait, Iris as an assistant?"

"Yep!" came a chorus of answers the three demigods.

**OHHHH! We could talk about pasts! Or secrets! Those are interesting!**

"I like that option!"

"Me too!"

**These would be the pasts and secrets of the seven. You get to chose one person, and either past or secret! It'll be fun!**

"Did Aphrodite write that?" question Percy, earning a smack from both Annabeth and Piper.

Everyone decided on that idea, but the real question was:

_What were they going to pick?_

* * *

**ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS VOTE! WHICH DO YOU WANT TO HEAR? LEAVE YOUR TOP TWO CHOICES!**

**Just a SMALL filler chapter. I have such a busy schedule! I won't consider writing until I have AT LEAST twenty votes from DIFFERENT people! I know this seems harsh (probably is) but I can't decide!**

**1. This is a story from the Demigod Diaries.**

**ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS VOTE! WHICH DO YOU WANT TO HEAR? LEAVE YOUR TOP TWO CHOICES!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, so I know I said I needed twenty reviews, but I'm really excited for this chapter... THOUGH I ONLY GOT 7 REVIEWS, 4 OF WHICH WERE VOTES! C'mon people! Don't you love me? *whimpers***

**The results were:**

**Leo. 2**

**Nico. 1**

**Annabeth. 2**

**And a lot of past reviews said Percabeth...**

**My first review wanted Leo, so first come first serve!**

**DOES ANYONE ELSE EVER GET THE THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHEN YOU REALIZE ONE OF YOUR CHAPTERS WAS TERRIBLE? I looked two chapters ago, and I didn't like it. Sorry for the terrible quality :-( **

**REVIEW IF YOU EVER GET THAT AWKWARD MOMENT! And the polls aren't closed yet... ;-)**

* * *

When everyone was finally done voting, Leo was chosen.

He stood. "Can I just say- BOO-YAH! I got picked. Leo Mcsexy Valdez for the _win_!" he cheered.

"Great you guys have inflated his ego!" said Piper.

"Next will be Annabeth," said Chiron.

"GO WISE GIRL!" yelled Percy.

She blushed.

"Then Nico, and those were the top three," continued Chiron.

"Aww, see Nico, they love you! You've got paparazzi, too, ya grouch!" yelled Leo.

"Valdez, I swear..." said Nico.

"Too dark and gothic, but hey, it sells!"

"I'm not afraid to use my dark and gothic powers on you, I swear if you crack one more joke-"

"NO! Not the jokes! Anything but the jokes, they're all I got! And my sexiness, and my magical tool belt, and my fire powers, and-"

"Leo!" yelled Piper as she pulled him down by the ear.

"Hey! Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! Stop that!"

"Don't terrorize Nico!"

"But-"

"LEO!"

"Fine."

"So, we were reading...?" asked Annabeth.

Suddenly, Leo went pale. "We can't read about my past," he said shakily.

"Why?" questioned Thalia

"You've got some pretty epic moments. You know, like when, at the wilderness school, you did that one thing with the megaphone?" Piper asked, suddenly laughing and confusing everyone but Jason and Leo.

"Oh yeah, that was great! 'The cow goes moo!' and darth vader voices, hilarious!" laughed Jason.

"Yeah, I guess," dismissed Leo.

"Oh, Leo," said Piper. **(1)**

"Oh," said Piper. "Oh Leo, I forgot."

"Yeah, we don't have to read it if you don't want to," said Jason, remembering.

"Am I missing something?" asked Thalia.

"No, no, no! I don't want to think about it. It's just- it was all my fault-"

"It was Gaea. It wasn't you, Leo," said Piper softly.

"It's just all my fault. I shouldn't have let her go-" said Leo looking up with a tear-streaked face.

"No. Stop blaming yourself."

"Yeah man, really-"

"We can read it," said Leo suddenly, standing up. "Go ahead."

"Are you sure-"

"Yes. Just go ahead. Jason, you read."

"Okay, if you're sure..."

"It says '**Fire Burns**'."

Leo took a shaky breath. "Read."

**He hadn't mentioned seeing Tía Callida, his old babysitter, but as soon as he'd heard about Jason's ****vision—the lady in the black dress and shawl—Leo knew it was the same woman. Tía Callida was Hera. His evil ****babysitter was the queen of the gods. Stuff like that could really deep-fry your brain.**

"Hera was your _babysitter_? _Seriously_?" asked Thalia incredulously.

"Yeah, she was evil and scary. Wanted to 'train' me early, I believe."

"Weird."

"You have no idea."

**He trudged toward the woods and tried not to think about his childhood—all the messed-up things that ****had led to his mother's death. But he couldn't help it.**

"Leo, your mom died? I'm sorry, I didn't know," said Annabeth.

"I-it's fine," as the few campers with mothers sent him pitying looks (except for Percy, who knew better) ad the rest who could empathize.

**The first time Tía Callida tried to kill him, he must've been about two. **

"She _tried _to _kill _you at the age of _two_?" asked Piper.

"And well after, also."

"_What_!?"

"Read."

**Tía Callida was looking after him while his ****mother was at the machine shop. **

"So you get your talents from your mom and dad? Cool!" said Frank.

"Yeah, I guess," said Leo, looking down.

**She wasn't really his aunt, of course—just one of the old women in the ****community, a generic tía who helped watch the kids. She smelled like a honey-baked ham, and always wore a ****widow's dress with a black shawl.**

**"Let's set you down for a nap," she said. "Let's see if you are my brave little hero, eh?"**

"That little-" started Thalia.

"We all know you hate her, and this just fuels your evil rage. Whatever, just shut up about it," said Percy.

"I swear you Kelp Head-"

"O-kay! Before you guys start a big-three war, ca-a-a-alm down!" yelled Rachel.

**Leo was sleepy. She nestled him into his blankets in a warm mound of red and yellow—pillows? The bed ****was like a cubbyhole in the wall, made of blackened bricks, with a metal slot over his head and a square hole ****far above, where he could see the stars.**

"What was-"

"You'll see."

** He remembered resting comfortably, grabbing at sparks like fireflies.**

"Oh my gods!" yelled Annabeth, realizing what was happening. "She could have killed you!"

"Yeah, she was terrible," said Leo.

**He dozed, and dreamed of a boat made of fire, sailing through the cinders. He imagined himself on board, ****navigating the sky. Somewhere nearby, Tía Callida sat in her rocking chair—creak, creak, creak—and sang a ****lullaby. Even at two, Leo knew the difference between English and Spanish, and he remembered being puzzled ****because Tía Callida was singing in a language that was neither.**

"Greek," commented Nico.

**Everything was fine until his mother came home. She screamed and raced over to snatch him up, yelling ****at Tía Callida, "How could you?" But the old lady had disappeared.**

"I'm so confused," said Nico.

"When are you not?"

"Hey, not cool Perce!"

**Leo remembered looking over his mother's shoulder at the flames curling around his blankets. Only years ****later had he realized he'd been sleeping in a blazing fireplace.**

"She put you in a _fireplace_?"

"It's fine, I'm immune, see?" He stood up, walked out of the pavillion and set himself on fire. Some campers screamed, but he extinguished it.

"See? Fire proof and I control it, he commented, make a flame appear in his hand.

"Leo! You're scaring them!"

"I'm not- oh sorry guys," he smiled sheepishly, then nonchalantly, and pointed to Jason. "Read."

**The weirdest thing? Tía Callida hadn't been arrested or even banished from their house. She appeared ****again several times over the next few years. Once when Leo was three, she let him play with knives. "You must ****learn your blades early," she insisted, "if you are to be my hero someday." Leo managed not to kill himself, but ****he got the feeling Tía Callida wouldn't have cared one way or the other.**

"She _what_?" asked a newer camper. "Is she _crazy_?"

The Seven shared a look and laughed. "Yes," they replied simultaneously.

**When Leo was four, Tía found a rattlesnake for him in a nearby cow pasture. **

"She-she didn't!" yelled Annabeth.

"She did," shrugged Leo.

**She gave him a stick and ****encouraged him to poke the animal. "Where is your bravery, little hero? Show me the Fates were right to ****choose you."**

"She chose you at such a young age..."

** Leo stared down at those amber eyes, hearing the dry shh-shh-ssh of the snake's rattle. He ****couldn't bring himself to poke the snake. It didn't seem fair. Apparently the snake felt the same way about biting ****a little kid. Leo could've sworn it looked at Tía Callida like, _Are you nuts, lady?_ Then it disappeared into the tall ****grass.**

"Aww, little Leo's got some love inside of him for the snake," teased Percy.

"I was four."

"Would you do it now?"

"No."

**The last time she babysat him, Leo was five. She brought him a pack of crayons and a pad of paper. They ****sat together at the picnic table in back of the apartment complex, under an old pecan tree. While Tía Callida ****sang her strange songs, Leo drew a picture of the boat he'd seen in the flames, with colorful sails and rows of ****oars, a curved stern, and an awesome masthead. **

"You knew that long ago? Wow!"

"Yeah, I'd been imagining the _Argo II _for awhile," said Leo, cheering up a little.

**When he was almost done, about to sign his name the way ****he'd learned in kindergarten, a wind snatched the picture away. It flew into the sky and disappeared.**

**Leo wanted to cry. He'd spent so much time on that picture—but Tía Callida just clucked with ****disappointment.**

"That evil-"

"Thalia! Be nicer," said Percy smirking.

**"It isn't time yet, little hero. Someday, you'll have your quest. You'll find your destiny, and your hard ****journey will finally make sense. But first you must face many sorrows. I regret that, but heroes cannot be ****shaped any other way. Now, make me a fire, eh? Warm these old bones."**

**A few minutes later, Leo's mom came out and shrieked with horror. Tía Callida was gone, but Leo sat in ****the middle of a smoking fire. The pad of paper was reduced to ashes. Crayons had melted into a bubbling ****puddle of multicolored goo, and Leo's hands were ablaze, slowly burning through the picnic table. For years ****afterward, people in the apartment complex would wonder how someone had seared the impressions of a five- ****year-old's hands an inch deep into solid wood.**

"Woah, Leo!"

"Oh yeah, I am freaking awesome!"

"Well, don't inflate your ego."

**Now Leo was sure that Tía Callida, his psychotic babysitter, had been Hera all along. That made her, what—his ****godly grandmother? His family was even more messed up than he realized.**

"Yeah, that's pretty messed up," agreed Percy.

**He wondered if his mother had known the truth. Leo remembered after that last visit, his mom took him ****inside and had a long talk with him, but he only understood some of it.**

**"She can't come back again." His mom had a beautiful face with kind eyes, and curly dark hair, but she ****looked older than she was because of hard work. **

Leo looked down, ready to start crying at the description of his mom.

**The lines around her eyes were deeply etched. Her hands ****were callused. She was the first person from their family to graduate from college. She had a degree in ****mechanical engineering and could design anything, fix anything, build anything.**

"She sounds great," said Piper.

"She was," said Leo.

"I'm sorry."

"Just read."

**No one would hire her. No company would take her seriously, so she ended up in the machine shop, ****trying to make enough money to support the two of them. She always smelled of machine oil, and when she ****talked with Leo, she switched from Spanish to English constantly—using them like complementary tools. It took ****Leo years to realize that not everyone spoke that way. She'd even taught him Morse code as a kind of game, so ****they could tap messages to each other when they were in different rooms: _I love you. You okay?_ Simple things ****like that.**

"I miss her, so much," whispered Leo.

Many of the campers were shocked to see Leo- happy, funny, carefree, and joking- all upset and sad. The others- Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, and especially Jason and Piper- understood.

**"I don't care what Callida says," his mom told him. "I don't care about destiny and the Fates. You're too ****young for that. You're still my baby."**

No one makes a sound.

**She took his hands, looking for burn marks, but of course there weren't any. "Leo, listen to me. Fire is a ****tool, like anything else, but it's more dangerous than most. You don't know your limits. Please, promise me—no ****more fire until you meet your father. Someday, mijo, you will meet him. He'll explain everything."**

"Wish he had," said Leo grumpily.

**Leo had heard that since he could remember. Someday he would meet his dad. His mom wouldn't answer ****any questions about him. Leo had never met him, never even seen pictures, but she talked like he'd just gone ****to the store for some milk and he'd be back any minute. Leo tried to believe her. Someday, everything would ****make sense.**

"I wish," he said again.

**For the next couple of years, they were happy. Leo almost forgot about Tía Callida. He still dreamed of the ****flying boat, but the other strange events seemed like a dream too.**

**It all came apart when he was eight. By then, he was spending every free hour at the shop with his mom.**

"Oh my gods, no, it's all my fault," he said.

"Leo, are you sure you still want to hear this?"

"Y-yeah, sure, g-g-go o-on," he said.

**He knew how to use the machines. He could measure and do math better than most adults. He'd learned to ****think three-dimensionally, solving mechanical problems in his head the way his mom did.**

**One night, they stayed late because his mom was finishing a drill bit design she hoped to patent. If she ****could sell the prototype, it might change their lives. She'd finally get a break.**

**As she worked, Leo passed her supplies and told her corny jokes, trying to keep her spirits up. He loved it ****when he could make her laugh. She'd smile and say, "Your father would be proud of you, mijo. You'll meet him ****soon, I'm sure."**

No one dared talk throughout this.

**Mom's workspace was at the very back of the shop. It was kind of creepy at night, because they were the ****only ones there. Every sound echoed through the dark warehouse, but Leo didn't mind as long as he was with ****his mom. If he did wander the shop, they could always keep in touch with Morse code taps. Whenever they ****were ready to leave, they had to walk through the entire shop, through the break room, and out to the parking ****lot, locking the doors behind them.**

**That night after finishing up, they'd just gotten to the break room when his mom realized she didn't have ****her keys.**

Leo was silently crying; Piper put an arm around him.

**"That's funny." She frowned. "I know I had them. Wait here, mijo. I'll only be a minute."**

**She gave him one more smile—the last one he'd ever get—and she went back into the warehouse.**

**She'd only been gone a few heartbeats when the interior door slammed shut. Then the exterior door ****locked itself.**

**"Mom?" Leo's heart pounded. Something heavy crashed inside the warehouse. He ran to the door, but no**

**matter how hard he pulled or kicked, it wouldn't open. "Mom!" Frantically, he tapped a message on the wall: You**

**okay?**

"No, no you're not," he whispered.

**"She can't hear you," a voice said.**

**Leo turned and found himself facing a strange woman. At first he thought it was Tía Callida. She was ****wrapped in black robes, with a veil covering her face.**

**"Tía?" he said.**

**The woman chuckled, a slow gentle sound, as if she were half asleep. "I am not your guardian. Merely a**

**family resemblance."**

Annabeth gasped, figuring it out. "You saw her that early?"

"Unfortunately," he said sadly, showing his badly tear-streaked face. "It was an unpleasant meeting, as you will see."

**"What—what do you want? Where's my mom?"**

**"Ah … loyal to your mother. How nice. But you see, I have children too … and I understand you will fight ****them someday. When they try to wake me, you will prevent them. I cannot allow that."**

**"I don't know you. I don't want to fight anybody."**

**She muttered like a sleepwalker in a trance, "A wise choice."**

**With a chill, Leo realized the woman was, in fact, asleep. Behind the veil, her eyes were closed. But even ****stranger: her clothes were not made of cloth. They were made of earth—dry black dirt, churning and shifting ****around her. Her pale, sleeping face was barely visible behind a curtain of dust, and he had the horrible sense ****that she'd had just risen from the grave. If the woman was asleep, Leo wanted her to stay that way. He knew ****that fully awake, she would be even more terrible.**

"_Gaea_ visited you! Oh my gods! That's crazy!"

"I wish she hadn't."

**"I cannot destroy you yet," the woman murmured. "The Fates will not allow it. But they not do protect your ****mother, and they cannot stop me from breaking your spirit. Remember this night, little hero, when they ask you ****to oppose me."**

"That evil, vile, son of a-"

"LANGUAGE!"

**"Leave my mother alone!" Fear rose in his throat as the woman shuffled forward. She moved more like an ****avalanche than a person, a dark wall of earth shifting toward him.**

"She shouldn't have been that conscious yet!"

**"How will you stop me?" she whispered.**

**She walked straight through a table, the particles of her body reassembling on the other side.**

**She loomed over Leo, and he knew she would pass right through him, too. He was the only thing between ****her and his mother.**

**His hands caught fire.**

**A sleepy smile spread across the woman's face, as if she'd already won. Leo screamed with desperation. ****His vision turned red. Flames washed over the earthen woman, the walls, the locked doors. And Leo lost ****consciousness.**

**When he woke, he was in an ambulance.**

**The paramedic tried to be kind. She told him the warehouse had burned down. His mother hadn't made it ****out. The paramedic said she was sorry, but Leo felt hollow. He'd lost control, just like his mother had warned. ****Her death was his fault.**

"I killed my mother!" he cried. "I killed her, because I couldn't control myself! Her death was _my_ fault! That's why I didn't want to talk about my past!"

"Leo, it wasn't-"

"Yes, it was! I _killed_ my _mother_!"

"No, you didn't! Stop blaming yourself! Seriously, it wasn't your fault! You were eight, and scared!"

"She specifically warned me not to!"

"Stop! Please, it wasn't you!"

"W-w-whatever. J-j-j-just c-continue."

Jason looked hesitant, but continued.

**Soon the police came to get him, and they weren't as nice. The fire had started in the break room, they ****said, right where Leo was standing. He'd survived by some miracle, but what kind of child locked the doors of ****his mother's workplace, knowing she was inside, and started a fire?**

"But it wasn't even you!"

**Later, his neighbors at the apartment complex told the police what a strange boy he was. They talked ****about the burned handprints on the picnic table. They'd always known something was wrong with Esperanza ****Valdez's son.**

"There is nothing wrong with Leo!"

**His relatives wouldn't take him in. His Aunt Rosa called him a diablo and shouted at the social workers to ****take him away. **

"Your own relatives..."

**So Leo went to his first foster home. A few days later, he ran away. Some foster homes lasted ****longer than others. He would joke around, make a few friends, pretend that nothing bothered him, but he always ****ended up running sooner or later. It was the only thing that made the pain better—feeling like he was moving, ****getting farther and farther away from the ashes of that machine shop.**

**He'd promised himself he would never play with fire again. He hadn't thought about Tía Callida, or the ****sleeping woman wrapped in earthen robes, for a long time.**

* * *

**1. I completely spaced and I can't remember who he told about his mom. I think it was Piper and Jason, right? Correct me if I'm wrong...**

**I WAS SO SAD WRITING THIS! It states that Leo blames himself, so I figured that's close to how he would react. **

**Sorry if you were annoyed by the amount of dialouge that doesn't really state who says it. I just couldn't figure out who should say what! Comment if you have this problem sometimes!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, it's been awhile. It took my _forever_ to think of a beginning!**

**KEEP VOTING FOR WHO YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT NEXT, PEOPLE! THE POLLS ARE STILL OPEN!**

* * *

**Third Person**

"Leo-"

"Yeah, yeah whatever, just move on. I don't want to discuss this any longer."

"-"

"Just _move on_! Gosh!"

"Okay, okay. Who was next? Annabeth, right?" asked Jason.

"Oh man, it's so embarrassing!" said Annabeth as she hid her face.

"But you were _so_ cute!" squealed Thalia teasingly.

"Oh gods..."

**It's told from Luke's POV... **(1)

"What?"

"Well, I'll read," said Thalia.

**I hugged my knapsack. I felt the diary and bronze dagger inside - the only remnants of Halcyon Green's life.**

"Oh, it's right after... never mind," she said absentmindedly, twisting Aegis on her wrist.

**My chest was tight, as if the leucrota was still standing on it. I'd criticized for Hal for being a coward, but in the end, he'd been braver than me. The gods had cursed him. He'd spent most of his life imprisoned with monsters. It would've been easy for him to let us die like all the other demigods before us. Yet he'd chosen to go out a hero.**

**I felt guilty that I couldn't save the old man. I wished I could've talked to him longer. What had he seen in my future that scared him so much?**

"Oh man, he say your future?"

"Yeah, both of ours. He really gave us a good scare."

**Your choices will change the world, he'd warned.**

**I didn't like the sound of it.**

"Yeah, not so good."

**The sound of sirens brought me to my senses.**

**Being runaway minors, Thalia and I had learned to distrust the police and anybody else with authority. The mortals would want to question us, maybe put us in juvie hall or foster care. We couldn't let that happen.**

**"Come on," I told Thalia.**

**We ran through the streets of Richmond until we found a small park. We cleaned up in the public restrooms as best we could. Then we lay low until full dark.**

**We didn't talk about what had happened. We wandered in a daze through neighborhoods and industrial areas. We had no plan, no glowing goat to follow anymore.**

Everyone stared at Thalia. "Glowing goat?"

She laughed a little. "My dad's sacred goat, Amaltheia. Lead me to Luke, Aegis, and a death trap. Also has many flavored drinks from his udders," she said smiling.

"O-kay."

**We were bone tired, but neither of us felt like sleeping or stopping. I wanted to get as far as possible from that burning mansion.**

**It wasn't the first time we'd barely escaped with our lives, but we'd never succeeded at the expense of another demigod's life. I couldn't shake my grief.**

**Promise, Halcyon Green had written.**

**I promise, Hal, I thought. I will learn from your mistakes. If the gods ever treat me that badly, I will fight back.**

"Oh great. Is this _really_ where his bitterness starts?"

"Nope, I believe it starts with his mom."

"Oh."

**Okay, I know that sounds like crazy talk. But I was feeling bitter and angry. If that makes the dudes up on Mount Olympus unhappy, tough. They can come down here and tell me to my face.**

**We stopped for a rest near an old warehouse. In the dim light of the moon, I could see a name painted on the side of the red brick building: RICHMOND IRON WORKS. Most of the windows were broken.**

**Thalia shivered. "We could head to our old camp," she suggested. "On the James River. We've got plenty of supplies down there."**

**I nodded apathetically. It would take at least a day to get there, but it was as good a plan as any.**

**I split my ham sandwich with Thalia. We ate in silence. The food tasted like cardboard. I'd just swallowed the last bite when I heard a faint metal ping from a nearby alley. My ears started tingling. We weren't alone.**

"Aww, it's little Annie!" cooed Thalia.

"Oh no, oh gods no," sighed Annabeth.

"What's so embarrassing?" asked Hazel.

"You'll see," she sighed again.

**"Someone's close by," I said. "Not a regular mortal."**

**Thalia tensed. "How can you be sure?"**

**I didn't have an answer, but I rose to my feet. I pulled out Hal's dagger, mostly for the glow of the Celestial bronze. Thalia grabbed her spear and summoned Aegis. This time I knew better than to look at the face of Medusa, but its presence still made my skin crawl. I didn't know if this shield was the aegis, or a replica made for heroes - but either way, it radiated power. I understood why Amaltheia had wanted Thalia to claim it.**

**We crept along the wall of the warehouse.**

**We turned into a dark alleyway that dead-ended at a loading dock piled with old scrap metal.**

**I pointed at the platform.**

**Thalia frowned. She whispered, "Are you sure?"**

**I nodded. "Something's down there. I sense it."**

**Just then there was a loud CLANG. A sheet of corrugated tin quivered on the dock. Something - someone - was underneath.**

**We crept toward the loading bay until we stood over the pile of metal. Thalia readied her spear. I gestured for her to hold back. I reached for the piece of corrugated metal and mouthed, One, two, three!**

**As soon as I lifted the sheet of tin, something flew at me - a blur of flannel and blond hair. A hammer hurtled straight at my face.**

Everyone started laughing.

"Really, Annabeth, a hammer?" asked Leo, smiling slightly.

"Well, hey, I was seven, okay?"

"Still..."

"Ugh, you guys are impossible!" she said throwing her hands up.

**Things could've gone very wrong. Fortunately my reflexes were good from years of fighting.**

**I shouted, "Whoa!" and dodged the hammer, then grabbed the little girl's wrist. The hammer went skidding across the pavement.**

**The little girl struggled. She couldn't have been more than seven years old.**

**"No more monsters!" she screamed, kicking me in the legs. "Go away!"**

"Aww, little Annie, no more monsters..."

**"It's okay!" I tried my best to hold her, but it was like holding a wildcat. Thalia looked too stunned to move. She still had her spear and shield ready.**

**"Thalia," I said, "put your shield away! You're scaring her!"**

"You were scared by her _shield_?"

"Hey that thing is scary!"

"That it is," agreed Percy, pulling her in closer.

**Thalia unfroze. She touched the shield and it shrank back into a bracelet. She dropped her spear.**

**"Hey, little girl," she said, sounding more gentle than I'd ever heard. "It's all right. We're not going to hurt you. I'm Thalia. This is Luke."**

"Thalia... _gentle_? Omigods, it's an apocalypse! The world is ending! AHHHH!" yelled Nico dramatically.

"Shut up!"

**"Monsters!" she wailed.**

**"No," I promised. The poor thing wasn't fighting as hard, but she was shivering like crazy, terrified of us. "But we know about monsters," I said. "We fight them too."**

"The _poor thing_..."

"Ugh, I'll never be able to live this down."

**I held her, more to comfort than restrain now. Eventually she stopped kicking. She felt cold. Her ribs were bony under her flannel pajamas. I wondered how long this little girl had gone without eating. She was even younger than I had been when I ran away.**

For once, everyone was looking sympathetically at her, instead of laughing.

She looked down.

**Despite her fear, she looked at me with large eyes. They were startlingly gray, beautiful and intelligent. A demigod - no doubt about it. I got the feeling she was powerful - or she would be, if she survived.**

"Hey! I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," Annabeth pouted.

"Compliment, Wise Girl," said Percy smiling.

Suddenly, Annabeth giggled. "You know what?" she asked, whispering.

"What?"

"I just remembered where you got that nickname."

"Oh." Just like that, they both started laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Frank.

They shared a look. "Nothing," they replied together.

"Anyway..." said Thalia.

**"You're like me?" she asked, still suspicious, but she sounded a little hopeful, too.**

**"Yeah," I promised. "We're..." I hesitated, not sure if she understood what she was, or if she'd ever heard the word demigod. I didn't want to scare her even worse. "Well, it's hard to explain, but we're monster fighters. Where's your family?"**

**The little girl's expression turned hard and angry. Her chin trembled. "My family hates me. They don't want me. I ran away."**

Percy hugged Annabeth while she looked down.

**My heart felt like it was cracking into pieces. She had such pain in her voice - familiar pain. I looked at Thalia, and we made a silent decision right there. We would take care of this kid. After what had happened with Halcyon Green...well, it seemed like fate. We'd watched one demigod die for us. Now we'd found this little girl. It was almost like a second chance.**

**Thalia knelt next to me. She put her hand on the little girl's shoulder. "What's your name, kiddo?"**

**"Annabeth."**

**I couldn't help smiling. I'd never heard that name before, but it was pretty, and it seemed to fit her. "Nice name," I told her. "I tell you what, Annabeth. You're pretty fierce. We could use a fighter like you."**

**Her eyes widened. "You could?"**

"Oh yeah, 'cuz you're just _so_ kick-butt, Annie," said Leo, grinning.

**"Oh, yeah," I said earnestly. Then a sudden thought struck me. I reached for Hal's dagger and pulled it from my belt. It will protect its owner, Hal had said. He had gotten it from the little girl he had saved. Now fate had given us the chance to save another little girl.**

She look down again, and whispered to Percy. "And now it's gone," she said, voice cracking.

"I know, Wise Girl, I know."

People looked at them, trying to figure out why they were so upset.

**"How'd you like a real monster-slaying weapon?" I asked her. "This is Celestial bronze. Works a lot better than a hammer."**

**Annabeth took the dagger and studied it in awe. I know...she was seven years old at most. What was I thinking giving her a weapon? But she was a demigod. We have to defend ourselves. Hercules was only a baby when he strangled two snakes in his cradle. By the time I was nine, I'd fought for my life a dozen times. Annabeth could use a weapon.**

**"Knives are only for the bravest and quickest fighters," I told her. My voice caught as I remembered Hal Green, and how he'd died to save us. "They don't have the reach or power of a sword, but they're easy to conceal and they can find weak spots in your enemy's armor. It takes a clever warrior to use a knife. I have a feeling you're pretty clever."**

**Annabeth beamed at me, and for that instant, all my problems seemed to melt. I felt as if I'd done one thing right. I swore to myself I would never let this girl come to harm.**

No comment.

**"I am clever!" she said.**

"I am clever!" mimicked Leo dramatically, waving his arms.

He earned a 'dramatic' punch from Annabeth.

"Ow!"

**Thalia laughed and tousled Annabeth's hair. Just like that - we had a new companion.**

**"We'd better get going, Annabeth," Thalia said. "We have a safe house on the James River. We'll get you some clothes and food."**

**Annabeth's smile wavered. For a moment, she got that wild look in her eyes again. "You're...you're not going to take me back to my family? Promise?"**

**I swallowed the lump out of my throat. Annabeth was so young, but she'd learned a hard lesson, just like Thalia and I had. Our parents had failed us. The gods were harsh and cruel and aloof. Demigods had only each other.**

No comment...

**I put my hand on Annabeth's shoulder. "You're part of our family now. And I promise I'm not going to fail you like our families did us. Deal?"**

And still no comment...

**"Deal!" she said happily, clutching her new dagger.**

**Thalia picked up her spear. She smiled at me with approval. "Now, come on. We can't stay put for long!"**

"What a cute story!" said Piper.

Annabeth snorted. "Cute. Yeah. Okay."

* * *

**1. This is from the demigod diaries.**


End file.
